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The National Weather Service was expected to cancel a high-wind advisory this afternoon. Winds should decrease;
advisory to be canceledWinds were expected to drop to 15 to 25 miles per hour today and to 10 to 20 miles per hour tomorrow.
Winds are expected to remain at 10 to 20 mph through the weekend.
Last night, winds were at 20 to 30 miles per hour, the weather service said.
Hawaiian Electric Company crews had been working continuously on wind-related power outages since Wednesday, said Heco spokesman Fred Kobashikawa. But calls began tapering off this morning.
Power was restored in Manoa at 5 a.m. after a two-hour outage affecting 550 customers along Woodlawn Drive, Kalawao Street, Lanikaula Street, Woolsey Place and Patty Drive, he said.
The Honolulu Zoo and the Pali Lookout reopened yesterday after being closed because of high winds.
A check of police and fire departments on the neighbor islands showed no major incidents because of the wind.
Addiction center offers recovery course for mothers
Mothers recovering from drug addiction, including alcohol, may participate in a "Parenting in Recovery" program offered by the Women's Addiction Treatment Center of Hawaii at St. Francis Medical Center.Eight-week sessions will be held at the treatment center from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Thursdays from Feb. 22 to April 12 and Tuesdays from March 20 to May 8. There is a $3 fee per class.
The courses will help women show love to their children while setting limits, how to improve communication with their children and obtain information on community resources.
To enroll, women must have been free of drug and alcohol use for at least two continuous months and be involved in a self-help recovery program or working with a therapist.
They must commit to attending all eight sessions. The program is supported through a grant from the Public Health Fund of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.
For more information and to register, call Cheryl Prince, 547-6514.
Special-ed czar could watch funds, gov says
Gov. Ben Cayetano has suggested that a czar-like position be created to resolve the funding problem with the Felix consent decree.He said he will propose creating such a position to U.S. District Judge David Ezra, who is overseeing the consent decree.
"You need a strong hand here and you need to have a czar to come in and say, 'This is what we're going to do,' " Cayetano said.
Attorney Shelby Floyd, who is representing the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit that brought about the consent decree, said she has not received information about the governor's proposal. She said the success of such of a proposal would depend on the goals for the position.
In 1997, the position of a Felix operational manager was created to coordinate compliance efforts, but that position came under criticism for failing to do the job.
Two Kapiolani manhole covers do brief dance
An underground "explosion" lifted two manhole covers on Kapiolani Boulevard yesterday, witnesses told firefighters. They said the covers, a few feet from Clayton Street, lifted slightly.An underground cable short-circuited and resulted in an outage, said Fred Kobashikawa, Heco spokesman. Kapiolani Boulevard was partially closed down for a short time around noon.
A few years ago, underground fires downtown caused manhole covers to blow. Kobashikawa said Heco replaced the area's old manhole covers with vented cast iron covers to prevent a buildup of combustible gas and replaced cables to minimize the occurrence of fires.
Yesterday's cable failure did not occur within that downtown area, and the manholes were not vented.
Waianae man, 61, convicted in drug trade
A federal jury has convicted Joseph Correia, 61, of conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine for distribution and unlawful possession of firearms as a felon.The convictions followed a four-day trial.
Evidence presented in court indicated that Correia and co-defendant Glenda Kawaiaea distributed meth in Waianae between at least 1997 and Dec. 4, 1998, when police executed a search warrant. More than 1-1/2 kilos of methamphetamine, numerous scales, smoking pipes, other drug paraphernalia and 11 firearms were seized.
Kawaiaea entered a guilty plea last November and testified against Correia at trial.
His Waianae residence was said to be equipped with a "take-out" window from which drugs were exchanged for cash, jewelry and stolen property.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra set sentencing for June 18.
Tomorrow
Some events of interest
9 a.m., Kihei, Maui: Parade of Whales & Whale Day Celebration.The theme of this year's parade is "Under the Sea." After the parade, the Pacific Whale Foundation holds its 21st annual Whale Day Celebration at Kalama Park.
Correction
Naupaka pendants at the Rainbow Collection start at $185; 18K naupaka earrings start at $400. Incorrect prices were given in the Today section Tuesday.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Man killed in accident at gas station
A 24-year-old Moanalua man died in a freak accident as he was putting gas into his car at a service station in Kaimuki after 8 a.m. yesterday, police said.Darell Maglinti of Onipaa Street was pinned between his car and a metal pole when another car, driven by an 82-year-old man, accidentally accelerated while backing up, police said.
Maglinti died at the Queen's Medical Center from internal injuries sustained in the accident.
The incident occurred at the Aloha service station at the corner of Koko Head and Harding avenues.
In addition to the two cars involved, there was damage to gas pumps, pump fixtures and the upright steel pole, police said.
The death was classified as a nontraffic fatality, the first such case this year.
Waikiki street shut down by broken water main
Police re-opened Kalia Road at 4 a.m. today after it was shut down for 11 hours because of a water main break.A 12-inch main broke near the Hale Koa Hotel at Fort DeRussy just before 5 p.m. yesterday. The break disrupted water service to the hotel.
Another main break cut off water to about 20 homes in Waianae last night at 11:46 p.m. Crews were expected to repair the 8-inch water main by 6 or 7 a.m. today. The break occurred at 85-1217 Kaneilio St.
Driver's license examiners investigated on Big Isle
The Big Island Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation into two Kona driver's license examiners who allegedly misused their positions.The investigations stemmed from an audit that found discrepancies in the issuance of driver's licenses, police said yesterday.
The audit was made after a Kona police officer learned that licenses were allegedly being issued without following proper procedures.
No arrests have been made in the case, and the two employees have been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigations.
Man arrested in robbery of Mililani branch bank
A 33-year-old man was identified and arrested yesterday in the robbery of the Mililani Branch of American Savings Bank on Feb. 7, police said.The Mililani man was arrested on a federal warrant at about 9:30 a.m. yesterday at his home by the Wahiawa Crime Reduction Unit and FBI special agents.
He was scheduled to appear in federal court yesterday afternoon.
15-year-old faces charges in sexual assault of sister
A 15-year-old boy was caught fondling his 11-year-old sister in their Waialua home yesterday afternoon, police said.The mother of the two walked into the girl's bedroom and saw what was happening, police said. The girl also reported other incidents of sexual assault.
The boy faces possible charges of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of third-degree sexual assault.
